I WANT TO PUBLISH MY BOOKS!
Have you ever really put the effort and energy it takes to write a full length (80,000 plus words) novel? The idea for a book is a gift if it comes to you, begging to be fleshed out. I was thrilled to have a novel pop up out of seemingly nowhere and allow me to commit it to paper. Certainly I added my own experiences but the original idea just popped up and started writing itself. Now that I have finished that novel plus three-quarters of a sequence, and having edited and re-edited at least six times (although I agree with others who say a writer could edit indefinitely), finding an agent is the trick. I don’t think I’m delusional in believing my work is marketable, although based on some of the reading I’ve done, not everyone is objective about their work.
Finding a story that takes the reader on a journey that forever changes them is a privilege I have experienced thousands of times. I want to be able to affect others as I have been moved by such books. I believe in my ability to create meaningful work!
I know there are gazillions of us wanna be authors out in the ether, and admittedly, we aren’t all great at what we do, yet writing is a gift in itself, published or not. Just having created a story from start to finish was an experience in itself. The process of writing helps define and hone our inner beliefs and attitudes, not to mention our imaginations. How will this mystery solve when even you, the writer, has no idea? Writing is both a challenge and a wonderful blessing. If I’m passionate enough and willing to hone my skills, I know it’s just a matter of serendipity and I will be published. Did that sound like bravado?
Lorraine E. Castro, LMFT 